Taccia by Flos is the table lamp designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1962 following the idea of turning a ceiling lamp upside down.
With its distinctive cupped reflector – a true piece of fine craftsmanship – and a base reminiscent of the shape of an ancient column with refined grooves, Taccia is recognised internationally as one of the most iconic symbols of Made in Italy design. Equally, it is considered among the most representative products of Flos’ brand identity and cultural values. Updated over time with the most advanced LED technologies, the lamp is now offered by Flos in a new Matte White version, perfect for the most sophisticated settings.
Achille Castiglioni described Taccia’s design in an interview in 1970: ‘It is considered the Mercedes of lamps, a symbol of success, perhaps because its base looks like a column. We certainly did not have prestige in mind when we designed it, we just wanted to create a cooling surface that would disperse heat’. It is therefore a coincidence that the base of this lamp is reminiscent of a column in classical art. In reality, the stand was designed to be similar to a radiator and to emphasise its function: the dispersion of the heat emanating from the lamp itself. A function that, today, no longer has any reason to exist since the new LED lighting sources do not have overheating problems.
From LED technology to the rediscovery of the original design: the evolution of an icon
Taccia has evolved over the years with the arrival of new versions in the Flos catalogue. In 2010, a version with a remote phosphor LED light source was added to the original model with an incandescent bulb, with the dual aim of guaranteeing not only energy savings and long life, but also perfectly homogeneous and natural-looking lighting that faithfully reproduces colour tones.
In 2016, Flos introduced a version of Taccia with a clear plastic bowl reflector, alongside the traditional blown glass model, following the designers’ original idea. Thanks to a comparison with the archives of the Fondazione Achille Castiglioni, it was in fact possible to ascertain that the designers’ original idea was to make the reflector not in glass, but in transparent plastic. This choice was later abandoned because the heat emanating from the incandescent light source deformed the material, prompting Flos to opt for blown glass.
Following the original concept of the Castiglioni brothers, Taccia’s cup-shaped diffuser was then made of a PMMA that could not be deformed by the light sources, which in the meantime had switched to low-emission LED technology. State-of-the-art injection moulding techniques helped to achieve a perfect bell shape, maintaining the uniformity of the surface both inside and out. thanks to high-precision laser cutting techniques, the diffuser’s injection points are not visible. The transparency and brilliance of the methacrylate endure over time thanks to the special properties of the material, which does not deteriorate with UV exposure. In 2016, Taccia Small finally completed the family with a smaller size and new colour options. Taccia Small is perfectly faithful to the traditional model; its reduced format allows it to be chosen for less generous room sizes.
Taccia Special Edition by Flos in total white, the exaltation of purity
The story of Taccia continues today, thanks to the collaboration with the Fondazione Achille Castiglioni. On the occasion of Euroluce / Milan Design Week 2023, CG, ideal for the most elegant environments. All of the lamp’s components, with the exception of the glass reflector, appear in a sophisticated total white look with a distinctly contemporary taste. The opaque white succeeds in rendering each body abstract, enhancing the purity of the design and the plasticity of the shapes, finally accentuating the iconicity of the lamp itself. Once again, Flos reinvents a masterpiece of design with the utmost respect for the original inspiration, updating it according to contemporary taste and requirements. flos.com
